Canon WC DC58N - converter

...aimed specifically at the Digital Canon G5 camera although this lens will also fit the G3 model as well.

The wide-angle lens (Canon WCDC58N) is attached to the camera with the aid of a Conversion lens adapter (LA-DC58B ) this makes it rather long and bulky looking at the front.
I will be reviewing the LA-DC58B separately)

The lens like the rest of the camera is black and attaches via a 58mm-screw fitting.
...attached to the 58mm thread on my 35mm EOS 300 SLR…. I am a big fan of compatible lenses!)

I found it made the camera front heavy but this can be compensated for by resting the bottom of the lens on the palm of my left hand while controlling the features with my right.

Now in practical terms the wide-angle lens converts the focal distance of the body lens by a factor of 0.7 when attached. (Which is a fancy way of saying ... more

This is a review aimed specifically at the Digital Canon G5 camera although this lens will also fit the G3 model as well.

The wide-angle lens (Canon WCDC58N) is attached to the camera with the aid of a Conversion lens adapter (LA-DC58B ) this makes it rather long and bulky looking at the front.
I will be reviewing the LA-DC58B separately)

The lens like the rest of the camera is black and attaches via a 58mm-screw fitting.

(Incidentally this means it can also be attached to the 58mm thread on my 35mm EOS 300 SLR…. I am a big fan of compatible lenses!)

I found it made the camera front heavy but this can be compensated for by resting the bottom of the lens on the palm of my left hand while controlling the features with my right.

Now in practical terms the wide-angle lens converts the focal distance of the body lens by a factor of 0.7 when attached. (Which is a fancy way of saying you get 0.7 more view area on the resulting picture!)

It’s great for landscapes, those Christmas shots of the WHOLE family around a table without making them all squash together and I found when I was at the zoo, herds of Elephants that would not group within a standard picture area.

There are downsides too. If you go too far into the digital zoom the focus became laboured, taking longer to compose a picture and in turn draining the battery faster. Though I can not imagine that this would be a lens that you would leave permanently attached to the camera. Rather choosing to use it for those shots that you would rather not crop around the edges.

It is, as I mentioned before also quite heavy so there is more of a chance of camera shake. This can be resolved by using a tri/mono- pod.

There is also no way to attach any sort of filter to the front of the lens – I am a big fan of “skylight” filters to protect the optics from flying debris and fingerprints. So it’s a good idea to replace the lens caps as soon as possible and keep a cleaning cloth to hand.

So am I glad I bough it? Truthfully, YES. It’s benefits have outweighed the shortcomings and I have enjoyed the pictures produced.

Finally, it comes packed in a small red box. Inside, which is a draw string leatherette pouch containing the lens and a lens cap on each end.

My lens cost roughly £86 from Amazon and I think this is very fair. The optics are of Canons usual high standards and although it is clearly marked “made in Japan” the instructions are in English.

 

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